Afghan Relocations: Special Forces

Allan Dorans Excerpts

Thursday 1st February 2024 Commons Chamber

[James Heappey]

I will need to write to the hon. Member on that.

[Allan Dorans (Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock) (SNP)]

Due to the high number of former Afghani soldiers whose lives are at risk as long as they remain in Afghanistan, what conversations has the Minister had with Cabinet colleagues on the possibility of additional safe routes to the United Kingdom?

[James Heappey]

These things are discussed regularly, as the hon. Gentleman would imagine. There is an additional route to the United Kingdom in the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme. Indeed, our ARAP and ACRS offer covers all Afghan citizens who served alongside our armed forces or worked alongside our diplomatic missions—or who were simply prominent in Afghan Government and society, and for whom we therefore feel that relocation is necessary for their protection—up to a point. ARAP and ACRS are matched, not quite in their generosity but in their scope, by schemes in many other countries that were a part of the NATO force in Afghanistan and/or the wider donor community for Afghanistan, so the opportunities for people to leave Afghanistan and resettle elsewhere are enormous. We should be proud of the UK schemes, which, today’s announcement notwithstanding, are incredibly generous. We are moving at the best pace we can to move people out of a country where that is very difficult.

Oral Answers to Questions

Allan Dorans Excerpts

Monday 7th December 2020 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Allan Dorans (Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock) (SNP)]

What plans he has for future military and security co-operation with EU (a) institutions and (b) member states.

[The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ben Wallace)]

Although we are leaving the EU defence structures, we remain committed to the security of Europe and will continue to co-operate with the EU and European nations on a bilateral or multinational basis on shared threats and challenges. We do not need an institutionalised relation with the EU to do so. The defence settlement reaffirms our position as Europe’s leading power, with the second highest defence budget in NATO, providing leadership and the ability for investment to help to drive forward NATO’s adaptation.

[Allan Dorans [V]]

Any major conflict will require UK forces to be able to work collaboratively and fully with EU forces in the future. What steps has the Secretary of State taken to ensure that that is possible through access to the European Defence Standardisation Committee, which replaces the former Materiel Standardisation Group?

[Mr Wallace]

The leader in the field of standardisation has always been NATO, with the setting of NATO standards, which have let us interoperate with our allies the United States and all the other nations of Europe. It would be wrong to abandon that to adopt another approach. We all know in Europe, whatever part of the EU debate one is in, that the United States is the cornerstone of European security, and that is why NATO is so important.

Oral Answers to Questions

Allan Dorans Excerpts

Monday 2nd November 2020 Commons Chamber

[Johnny Mercer]

It is not true to say that many veterans’ organisations take the same view as the Legion on this case. Neither the Legion nor the Government are the guarantor of the armed forces covenant. I am absolutely 100% sure that this does not breach the armed forces covenant. If we were to wilfully translate it in a way in which it was never intended, then I accept what has been said, but that is not what the armed forces covenant is there to do. It is there to ensure that there is no disadvantage for those who serve, and this Government are the first to legislate, in the armed forces Bill next year, to make it illegal to discriminate against servicemen and women and veterans for their service. I am afraid therefore that I disagree on that point. It is a good Bill. It is fair and proportionate, and people should support it tomorrow.

[Allan Dorans (Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock) (SNP)]

What recent steps his Department has taken to protect UK territorial waters in the (a) north Atlantic and (b) North sea.

[Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP)]

What recent steps his Department has taken to protect UK territorial waters in the (a) north Atlantic and (b) North sea.

[The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ben Wallace)]

The protection of UK territorial waters is a cross-Government responsibility.  The Ministry of Defence contributes to this by providing a multi-layered capability to deter incursions into territorial waters. This includes a range of assets based in Scotland, from surface ships and submarines based on the Clyde to the new Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft based at RAF Lossiemouth. That is a good example of how United Kingdom defence contributes to the security of all these islands.

[Allan Dorans [V]]

Can the Secretary of State tell us his plans to ensure that our armed forces can cope with multiple tasks, including combating people and drug trafficking, and foreign incursion into our territorial waters and airspace, as has been seen recently? Will they specifically live up to the Government’s promise to establish a frigate factory on the Clyde?